Comments on: Psittacosis and the media freak-out of the week http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/06/29/keeping-it-all-in-perpective-psittacosis-and-the-media-freak-out-of-the-week/ The Web blog of the Pet Connection, a pet-care feature syndicated internationally by Universal Press. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:02:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Bernard J. (Bernie) Starzewski http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/06/29/keeping-it-all-in-perpective-psittacosis-and-the-media-freak-out-of-the-week/#comment-305215 Bernard J. (Bernie) Starzewski Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:07:59 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2629#comment-305215 With all due respect, it really does sound like this man died of this disease. Do you think it came from the chicken salad at McDonalds? I hear something I dont like here... Remember when U of Mi. was telling us that there were only 26 confirmed cases of melamine/cyanuratic poisoning? What was the consensus among the bloggers here at that time? I guess it depends on who's ox is getting gored. We can at least try for a little consistency. With all due respect, it really does sound like this man died of this disease. Do you think it came from the chicken salad at McDonalds? I hear something I dont like here… Remember when U of Mi. was telling us that there were only 26 confirmed cases of melamine/cyanuratic poisoning? What was the consensus among the bloggers here at that time?

I guess it depends on who’s ox is getting gored.

We can at least try for a little consistency.

]]> By: Social Mange http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/06/29/keeping-it-all-in-perpective-psittacosis-and-the-media-freak-out-of-the-week/#comment-304486 Social Mange Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:58:24 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2629#comment-304486 This sounds like an AR-instigated assault on ownership of pet birds. This sounds like an AR-instigated assault on ownership of pet birds.

]]> By: Gina Spadafori http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/06/29/keeping-it-all-in-perpective-psittacosis-and-the-media-freak-out-of-the-week/#comment-304277 Gina Spadafori Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:28:13 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2629#comment-304277 How funny ... that was the summer AFTER I lived on the beach southeast of Tallahassee so I remember the "shark summer" well. The media doesn't do well with putting risk in context. I'm not sure how it can do better. It just seem to be the nature of the beast to grab one thing and shake it like a rag. Yesterday, when the media was jumping all over this story and Marty and I were trying to help get them information, I'm like, "HUH? 50 confirmed cases -- not fatalities, cases --in 12 years and the media is freaking out. Thousands of dead pets indicative of a much, much larger problem with import safety and they practically yawned with boredom. What gives?" How funny … that was the summer AFTER I lived on the beach southeast of Tallahassee so I remember the “shark summer” well.

The media doesn’t do well with putting risk in context. I’m not sure how it can do better. It just seem to be the nature of the beast to grab one thing and shake it like a rag.

Yesterday, when the media was jumping all over this story and Marty and I were trying to help get them information, I’m like, “HUH? 50 confirmed cases — not fatalities, cases —in 12 years and the media is freaking out. Thousands of dead pets indicative of a much, much larger problem with import safety and they practically yawned with boredom. What gives?”

]]> By: slt http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/06/29/keeping-it-all-in-perpective-psittacosis-and-the-media-freak-out-of-the-week/#comment-304262 slt Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:21:30 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2629#comment-304262 I think often of the summer a few years ago when every time I turned on the news or looked at a magazine, I saw something about YET ANOTHER shark attack. Turns out, shark attacks were actually down that year. The media just picked it up as a hot storyline. I think often of the summer a few years ago when every time I turned on the news or looked at a magazine, I saw something about YET ANOTHER shark attack. Turns out, shark attacks were actually down that year. The media just picked it up as a hot storyline.

]]> By: Bernard J. (Bernie) Starzewski http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/06/29/keeping-it-all-in-perpective-psittacosis-and-the-media-freak-out-of-the-week/#comment-304256 Bernard J. (Bernie) Starzewski Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:45:31 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2629#comment-304256 Correction: I meant to say that the light was "always flashing yellow" (not red). Correction: I meant to say that the light was “always flashing yellow” (not red).

]]> By: Bernard J. (Bernie) Starzewski http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/06/29/keeping-it-all-in-perpective-psittacosis-and-the-media-freak-out-of-the-week/#comment-304254 Bernard J. (Bernie) Starzewski Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:42:58 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2629#comment-304254 I happened to catch the report and interview just a few moments ago since I took a vacation day today to give my new pal Trigger another day to get situated before I have to leave him alone with Scout and the kitties all day.... So far so good. Im glad you characterized it as the "media freak out of the week..." because thats what I think what most of these things are. But I am also reminded that when the Menu Foods debacle first hit we had University vets like Dr. Sawchuk at UW Madison dismissing it as "a slow news day" even after it was clear that dogs and cats were sick and dying all over the country. So, maybe we should discuss exactly what constitutes a genuine emergency and what makes for a "freak out". The danger is always choosing between being the boy who cried wolf or the guard that let the terrorist through. Short of adopting a color coded pet health alert that is always flashing red, just how does a simple news consumer know the difference when it happens? I happened to catch the report and interview just a few moments ago since I took a vacation day today to give my new pal Trigger another day to get situated before I have to leave him alone with Scout and the kitties all day…. So far so good.

Im glad you characterized it as the “media freak out of the week…” because thats what I think what most of these things are. But I am also reminded that when the Menu Foods debacle first hit we had University vets like Dr. Sawchuk at UW Madison dismissing it as “a slow news day” even after it was clear that dogs and cats were sick and dying all over the country.

So, maybe we should discuss exactly what constitutes a genuine emergency and what makes for a “freak out”. The danger is always choosing between being the boy who cried wolf or the guard that let the terrorist through.

Short of adopting a color coded pet health alert that is always flashing red, just how does a simple news consumer know the difference when it happens?

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